The new metro in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh opened in December this year. These are brand new lines that were built to be autonomous. The showpiece of the metro is the hub station in King Abdullah’s financial district, which was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.
The Saudi Arabian authorities are keen to show off modern public transport in the country’s capital. Especially as the country is set to host a number of events in the coming years, such as the AFC Asian Cup 2027, World Expo 2030, Asian Games 2034 and the planned but not yet confirmed FIFA World Cup 2034.
A consortium of BACS and Siemens Mobility, among others, was involved in the construction of the line. Passengers use modern 67 Siemens Inspiro trains. This is the same family of trains that Warsaw residents can use. In Riyadh, Inspiro trains have been given a look designed by the Avant Premiere agency. Unlike the Warsaw metro, the trains in Riyadh have a differentiated design due to the division of the interior into three classes: gold, silver and regular. However, Warsaw’s Inspiro are longer, with one train set having six carriages, while in Riyadh the trains run in two-car or four-car combinations.
The trains were designed with the specific climatic conditions of the region in mind. It was necessary to use a larger and more efficient air conditioning system. In addition, filters and sealing systems limit the ingress of sand into the air conditioning, traction systems, brakes or bogies. The metro has been optimised in terms of energy consumption.
Overall, the Riyadh metro has the longest autonomous transport system in the world. The network stretches for more than 176 km and includes six lines and 85 stations. On a single day, the system can carry up to 3.6 million passengers. The capital’s authorities are hoping to reduce car traffic by offering attractive public transport.
A station in the King Abdullah Financial District designed by Zaha Hadid Architects serves as the main interchange. The official opening of the metro network took place on 1 December. The blue, yellow and purple lines were then opened. The red line opened two weeks later on 15 December. The hub station provides an interchange to reach King Khalid Airport and provides access to the local KAFD monorail. The station has six platforms and four levels. It connects to bus services.
The building is distinguished by its façade, which wraps around the building like an outer shell. It is a kind of three-dimensional truss, which is distinguished by a sequence of opposing sine waves. These elements extend to the exterior and are made of concrete. The geometric perforations of the façade are meant to symbolise the patterns on the sand generated by the desert winds, a reference to nature. The architects acknowledge that the design was continuously optimised to enhance structural and environmental performance.
The new station is designed to provide comfort with minimal energy requirements. A cooling system powered by renewable energy automatically adjusts to the outside temperature during the day. The cooling is kept cool by sliding door panels on each platform, which only open when the train is stationary.
design: Zaha Hadid Architects
photography: Hufton Crow (Zaha Hadid Architects)
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